Swamy pleads for ‘Bharat Ratna’ to Rajapaksa
October 20, 2014 11:48 pm
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his government confer Bharat Ratna on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa under whose leadership the LTTE was eliminated.
“This elimination of the LTTE must be recognised in India as a welcome contribution to our national security, he said in a letter to Modi.
The prime minister has acknowledged receipt of Swamy’s letter, PTI reported.
Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award and is conferred “in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order”, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex.
The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science and public services but the Indian government expanded the criteria to include “any field of human endeavour” in December 2011.
